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bibliosizzle 's review for:
Penitence
by Kristin Koval
Wow. I cannot believe that this is a debut novel. This is officially the first book I am putting on my "favorite books of the year" list, for 2025.
• The Plot: A 13 year old girl shoots her 14 year old brother and gets arrested. The book follows the mystery of what happened that night, what her motives were, and what the consequences of her actions are. It also examines the people around who are affected by the murder and their own personal journeys with penitence and forgiveness.
• The Characters: The characters were so well developed that I found myself completely engrossed in their feelings, my heart being torn out along with their own. Koval does such a great job at making you feel like you understood their choices, no matter how wrong they may seem externally, and the struggle that each character faced as a consequence of those choices. This book had me thinking to myself, on several occasions, what would I have done if I was in their shoes?
• The Themes: There were a couple of really interesting themes through the book.
- Choices - those that are a split second decision and those that are pondered over for perhaps too long.
- Consequences - those that are understood and those that are not. It questioned whether or not a consequence was deserved or was too harsh or too lenient.
- Judgement - who is the right person to pass judgement? The law? The individual? The church? Peers? What if the person who is passing the judgement doesn't have the ability to consider all the facts. Should it matter?
- Forgiveness - Forgiving yourself and forgiving others, and how that might look different from person to person.
- Penitence - The amount of sorrow, guilt, and regret that someone can feel for a wrong they have committed, or a wrong that they have been affected by.
• Who would I recommend this for? Anyone who enjoys fiction that makes you think, changes the way you perceive the world, and is not afraid to explore the tough questions.
• My rating: Five Stars. So well done. This was a beautiful tragedy on so many levels. It had layer after layer of depth and emotion and it was all wrapped up really well. Bravo to Koval! What a great read.
• The Plot: A 13 year old girl shoots her 14 year old brother and gets arrested. The book follows the mystery of what happened that night, what her motives were, and what the consequences of her actions are. It also examines the people around who are affected by the murder and their own personal journeys with penitence and forgiveness.
• The Characters: The characters were so well developed that I found myself completely engrossed in their feelings, my heart being torn out along with their own. Koval does such a great job at making you feel like you understood their choices, no matter how wrong they may seem externally, and the struggle that each character faced as a consequence of those choices. This book had me thinking to myself, on several occasions, what would I have done if I was in their shoes?
• The Themes: There were a couple of really interesting themes through the book.
- Choices - those that are a split second decision and those that are pondered over for perhaps too long.
- Consequences - those that are understood and those that are not. It questioned whether or not a consequence was deserved or was too harsh or too lenient.
- Judgement - who is the right person to pass judgement? The law? The individual? The church? Peers? What if the person who is passing the judgement doesn't have the ability to consider all the facts. Should it matter?
- Forgiveness - Forgiving yourself and forgiving others, and how that might look different from person to person.
- Penitence - The amount of sorrow, guilt, and regret that someone can feel for a wrong they have committed, or a wrong that they have been affected by.
• Who would I recommend this for? Anyone who enjoys fiction that makes you think, changes the way you perceive the world, and is not afraid to explore the tough questions.
• My rating: Five Stars. So well done. This was a beautiful tragedy on so many levels. It had layer after layer of depth and emotion and it was all wrapped up really well. Bravo to Koval! What a great read.